A report by the International Labor Organization's Jakarta office reports that four mil Indonesians in the construction and manufacturing sector have lost their jobs as a result of the Indonesian economic crisis. The number is expected to swell between eight mil to nine mil in 1998 and is expected to aggravate the worsening employment situation for newly-graduates from secondary and higher education schools. Estimates of Indonesians living below the poverty line has been placed at 32.4 mil, compared to only 22.5 mil in 1996.

Changing of the port guards

Article Abstract:

Indonesia's Directorate General of Customs and Excise is expected to regain inspection control of commercial cargo entering the country. The revert of control to the government, which from 1985 until 1991 was delegated to the Swiss surveying firm Societe Generale de Surveillance SA for preshipment inspection, is feared by importers to result in port congestion and corruption.